David Johnson

David Johnson served both Liverpool and Everton with great distinction and went on to win many honours’ through his career. Gaining International caps for England, one of which was against Argentina, with the great Maradona and England winning with Johnson scoring 2 goals. Dave is considered as one of the best after dinner speakers today.

David Johnson served both Liverpool and Everton with great distinction as a predatory goalpoacher. The only player ever to score on his debut with every team he played for in a fantastic career spanning spells with Liverpool, Everton, Ipswich Town and of course England.

He was already a well-known striker scoring 46 goals in 187 league matches for the Blues and Ipswich Town before coming to Liverpool.

He actually scored as a 20 year old against Liverpool in the Goodison ‘derby’ on 13th November 1971, a feat he would also repeat for Liverpool at Goodison in 1980. Although picked from the start for the first eight First Division fixtures of 1976-77, many of David’s 26 league appearances that year where from the substitute’s bench but he still easily qualified for the first of his three league championship medals.

David scored in the final league match of the season, away to Bristol City, and that was enough to earn him a place in the FA cup final team to meet Manchester United. But he was substituted by Ian Callaghan during the final and ‘Cally’ kept his place for the European cup final in Rome four days later. Injured for much of the next season, Johnson again missed out on a European medal in 1978 but finally achieved his dream by being part of the side that lifted the trophy for the third time at the Parc des Princes, Paris in 1981.

Johnson finally managed to establish himself in the 1978-79 season, followed by his best season scoring 27 goals in 1979-80, forming a powerful partnership with Dalglish (Now Liverpool FC Manager). That form earned him eight England caps and he scored twice in a 3-1 win against world champions Argentina at Wembley in 1980.